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Recipe: 5-Ingredient Summer Vegetable Pasta with Lemon & Feta

You know me, I love a pasta dish if I’m in need of comfort food. Carbonara, Mac’n’Cheese, a big bowl of no-tomato Bolognese. All perfect comfort foods, but they can be a bit heavy and a bit too much to cook in the summer heat. No-one wants a pan of Bolognese simmering for 2 hours when it’s hot and sunny outside! This pasta dish is the perfect alternative.

The combination of the feta starting to melt into the hot pasta keeps the level of comfort food, yet the abundance of green vegetables and lemony flavours keep it summery. Some of the pasta is replaced with courgette, making the dish lighter, and the slight al dente texture of the peas adds another element.

In short, this is the perfect hot weather comfort food.

Recipe (serves 2)

140g pasta, spaghetti or linguine works well here

2-3 courgettes, peeled into strips with a vegetable peeler

50g peas

1 lemon, zest and juice

25g feta

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, adding the peas for the last 3-4 minutes. Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Meanwhile spread the courgette strips out as much as possible onto a baking tray, season with a little salt and roast for 5-7 minutes at 180C.

Return the pasta and peas to their pan, and add the courgette along with a good grind of black pepper. Toss together, adding a little pasta water, then stir through the zest and juice of the lemon. Keep tossing togethe,r adding more water, until everything is evenly combined. Drizzle with a little olive oil, if you have any to hand, then pile into bowls and crumble over the feta.

A super easy pasta dish with summery flavours, ready in under 15 minutes. Perfect for hot evenings when you just want to be lazing around in the garden!